BMW is targeting the post 4-year 50,000 miles owner’s market with very aggressive service deals. What do you think of an oil change at the BMW Dealer for $79.95? And that’s with 7 quarts of BMW Synthetic Oil and an original BMW filter.
On top of that, they do a detailed inspection of your BMW on a lift and email you a summary PDF file when they are done.
BMW Value Service program was rolled out in 2012 and all U.S. dealers, except two, participate. Value Service options are limited but include oil service, cabin air filter change, brakes, rotors and brake sensors.
When purchasing a new BMW one is accustomed to No Cost Maintenance for the first four years of ownership up to 50,000 miles. However, given that the average age of a car on the road is now over eleven years, BMW realizes that many BMW owners could benefit from the program. BMW does offer a maintenance extension program, they call it a “Maintenance Program Upgrade” that covers years 5 and 6, up to 100,000 miles for all required service. These prices for this upgrade maintenance coverage range from $1,895 for an E46 3 Series to a staggering $3,495 for the BMW V8 turbo-M variants. The BMW Value Service does not cover M cars and offers on which BMWs are covered varies by region.
BMW Value Service is directly aimed at knocking down the perception that servicing your BMW at the dealer is crazy expensive. The BMW Value Service shows the actual prices for the preventative maintenance services to give your BMW a good shot at a long reliable life using only BMW parts. In addition, any part installed on your BMW after warranty comes with a two year unlimited miles warranty. Roughly one third of services performed at BMW Dealer is after “free maintenance” work.
My 2007 BMW X3 just hit 50,000 miles and was due for an oil service, so I thought I’d give this program a go. Scheduling service was simple on BMW’s website. I entered my zip code and choose the nearest participating BMW dealer. I selected the $79.95 oil service. Next up was picking a date and available time. Surprisingly, a raft of options popped up that were only a day or two away. Transportation options include Drop off, Shuttle, Waiter or a Loaner.
A nice benefit to getting an oil service done at the dealer versus an independent shop is that you get a BMW trained mechanic to give your BMW a thorough once over. I knew my brake pads were getting thin. However, I didn’t know they were 4 mm. The PDF they emailed me pointed this out and the mechanic mentioned they are due soon for replacement but were still safe. A bonus was how clean my X3 was when I got it back. No water spots and they vacuumed out the interior too.
The cabin air filter change is also included with the Value Service Oil Service.
BMW Models in the program valueservicebmw.com
3 Series – E46/E90 Model year 1999+
5 Series – E39/E60 Model Year 1997+
X3 – E83 Model Year 2004-2010
X5 -E53 2000-2006
It’s apparent that BMW is targeting some but not all comers for service. What do I mean? The independent BMW shops I know welcome BMWs as old as they come, so it’s not uncommon to see a 2002 or a classic E30 3 Series (80s era) BMW. The BMW Value Service applies to as old as 15 years but not beyond. The BMW Value Service also seems limited to basic services for your BMW. Given that their prices are so close to independent shops on these services, plus you get a thorough inspection it’s a deal hard to pass up.
Here is a video that explains the BMW Value Service program:
Thanks to Baron BMW, my local dealer, for allowing the photos during the service.
